WORKOUT PLAN: MICHELLE OBAMA'S SECRETS

Fitness Tips From The First Lady's Trainer

Workout tips on how to get in shape and get toned arms like Michelle Obama

Fitness Tips From The First Lady's TrainerWorkout tips on how to get in shape and get toned arms like Michelle Obama

Timothy A. Clary / AFP / Getty Images

There is one piece of information in Washington that's so coveted you'd think it was deemed classified: how Michelle Obama got those well- toned body and arms.

Women's Health got the scoop—straight from Mrs. Obama's long-time personal trainer, Cornell McClellan. He's put her through 1,872 workouts. That's how many days—give or take a few—she's hit the gym since 1997, the year she first started working with McClellan at his Chicago fitness studio, Naturally Fit. Even more impressive: Most of those sessions took place at 5:30 a. m.

"She's truly committed herself to the importance of health and fitness," McClellan says. "I believe the purpose of training is to tighten up the slack, toughen the body, and polish the spirit. To do that, we take a holistic approach that includes strength, cardiovascular, and flexibility training."

The foundation of McClellan's workout plan is an intense weight- training routine made up of compound movements that work multiple muscle groups. In one workout, Mrs. Obama might do one set of 15 to 20 reps each of lunges, bench presses, hip raises, and rows, all without resting—and with short bouts of intense cardio mixed in. For an even greater total-body challenge, the workouts also feature rope-jumping, kickboxing, and body-weight calisthenics, all done at a heart-and lung-­busting pace that skyrockets fitness levels and burns tons of calories.

The result: a woman who's earned the right to be a health and fitness role model because she knows firsthand just how much dedication it takes to make it a lifestyle.

Ready to follow her lead? Make yourself priority number one with these three routines from the First Lady's trainer.

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